The percentage of US consumers buying organic products has remained
steady at 38-39 percent for three years running, according to research
from TABS Group.

The market research organization conducted a survey of 1,000 people aged
18-75 in its online panel in early January 2011, replicating an earlier
poll conducted in November 2008. Its results show the percentage of
consumers buying organic
products stood at 38.4 percent in 2008, 38.0 percent in 2009, and 38.6
percent in 2010, and claims that other research indicating a growing US
organic sector could be incorrect.

“We still see many fallacious reports that the number of consumers
purchasing organic products is growing; our research does not support
that conclusion,” said TABS Group president and founder Kurt Jetta.

A recent study from RNCOS, for example, found that the organic food
industry grew by 5.1 percent in 2009, despite the struggling economy;
and Organic Monitor has reported sales growth of just under five percent
for the organic sector during the recession, following double-digit
growth for several years previously.

This year’s survey was the first time that TABS Group had included red
meat and chicken, and it found that 6.4 percent of respondents reported
buying organic red meat, while 13.4 percent said they bought organic
chicken.

“When we see a consistent penetration over three years combined with
the fact that adding more categories does not increase that penetration,
we conclude that there is a well-entrenched consumer base for
organics,” Jetta said.
“There is little hope of increasing that
base any time soon. Any growth in organics from one outlet must,
therefore, necessarily come at the expense of another channel.”

Organic goes mainstream

The market research firm reported that there has been a shift away from
purchasing organic products from natural foods retailers toward
mainstream grocers, with natural foods retailers falling from being the
preferred organic outlets by 26.8 percent in 2009 to 24.4 percent in
January 2011, a nine percent drop. Meanwhile, traditional grocers saw an
increase from 41.0 percent to 44.1 percent, the researcher found.